Pages

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Huge congratulations to my good writing buddy Cathryn Hein who is celebrating the release of her second rural romance from Penguin Australia, Heart of the Valley. I really enjoyed her first book Promises - and although I'm not a country or horsey girl, I ended up completely falling in love with the beautiful horses in the book. I also love the names Cathryn gives her wonderful equines - have a read of the blurb below to see what I mean!

Brooke Kingston is smart, capable and strongwilled ­ some might
even say stubborn ­ and lives in the beautiful Hunter Valley on her
family property. More at home on horseback than in heels, her life
revolves around her beloved ‘boys’ ­ showjumpers Poddy, Oddy and Sod.Then a tragic accident leaves Brooke a mess. Newcomer
Lachie Cambridge is hired to manage the farm, and Brooke finds herself
out of a job and out of luck. But she won¹t go without a fight.

What she doesn’t expect is Lachie himself ­ a handsome,
gentle giant with a will to match her own. But with every day that
Lachie stays, Brooke’s future on the farm is more uncertain. Will she be
forced to choose between her home and the man she’s falling for?

A vivid, moving and passionate story of love and redemption from the author of Promises.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

When my first novella was published a few years ago, I met up with a wonderful group of authors who all debuted round about the same time as I did. I'm absolutely delighted to showcase one of those lovely ladies on my blog today, as she celebrates the release of her debut novella from Ellora's Cave.

And what's more, today is also her birthday! Happy Birthday, April!!! And congratulations on the release of UNBOUND!! I've just read this book and it's a real scorcher :-)

Here is April's bio in her own words...

April Vine writes erotic romance
by night and is a professional dreamer by day. She has two precious sons who
keep her sharp and one very tolerant husband who chivalrously and bravely
defends her honour daily.

UNBOUND BY APRIL VINE

BLURB:

Staid and straitlaced Michelle
Stein has two thoughts fueling her mind…

1. Floor the first man to walk
into her antique shop.

2. Throttle her three
witch-practicing aunts.

They promised her a tiny spell
to fix her ridiculous inhibitions, but instead mischievously delivered a
full-blown, sanity-squashing lust spell. The temporary curse apparently has no
boundaries either…since the first man who walks through her door is the same
man who broke her heart ten years ago. Despite Michelle’s vociferous
resistance, Sebastian becomes the only man who can appease her unending
physical hunger.

Thirty, heirless and restless,
Sebastian Gray is drawn back home to Cape Town to claim the only girl he
ever loved. What he finds in her place is a hotly bewitched erotic seductress.
Now with the reparation spell her aunts cast gone awry, Sebastian might be on
the losing end of a futile battle against a strength-ascending hex, no matter
how hard he tries to keep Michelle satiated, alive…or even just human.

Excerpt

Chapter
One

Michelle
leaped from the floral-embossed Victorian chair, gripped the edge of the walnut
desk and dropped her chin to her chest. Labored breaths somersaulted from her
mouth. Her heart beat with swift speed. Her skin screamed under a raging fire.

She
was having an attack.

Not a
panic attack.

A sex
attack.

Oh
how she vowed to strangle her aunts, wring their collective witches’ necks and
put them on a diet of cabbage for as long as they lived. She thought they’d
agreed with her terms and stipulations.

Obviously
not, since they’d turned her into a raging sex fiend who without any hesitation
would attack the first man who walked through the door of her antiquities shop.
Not by her own doing, because how could she, twenty-six-year-old, staid,
even-headed and collected Michelle Stein, sign up for such reckless sexual
abandonment? Not ever.

She
resisted the urge to squeeze her scorching nipples and the temptation to bunch
up her cotton panties and pull them taut against her clit. She couldn’t give
in. Not while her door remained opened for business.

She
wobbled out of her office to the entrance of the store. Pressing her legs
together, she chewed her lip in agony as the slightest movement ricocheted
spasms of pleasure through her body. Her eyes fixed on the gold-plated sign
hanging on the inside of the glass door meters away from her. Her mission to
flip it around and keep out any possible victims until the crazy her aunts bestowed upon her evaporated.

Too
late.

The
door swung open. Eighteenth-century chimes hanging from the paneled ceiling
danced in the afternoon breeze. Their former melodious jingle a sex-alert siren
in her ear now.

She
zeroed in on a musky scent mingled with the clean, self-assured aroma of pure
red-blooded male. Her senses hummed. She licked her lips then swerved to a dead
halt.

Bedeviled
with the worst kind of heat known to any man, woman or animal for that matter,
and who chose to walk into her ordinarily sedate but presently doggoned world?

Sebastian
Gray.

He
who broke her heart in two.

“Glitterbug.”
His gravel-and-silk voice spiked and inebriated her nerves. She tore her gaze
away from his killer smile and stared into his wicked green-tinged blue eyes,
which teased her the same way they did ten years ago.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

I've been a bit distracted lately and for a very good reason - I'm thrilled to show off my darling little grandson, Vincent Alexander, who was born on 14th April! He is completely adorable and I could cuddle him all day!

Vincent enjoying his first bath at home with my daughter and her partner- six month old Theo found the proceedings fascinating!!

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

I've been building a new website for Christina Ashcroft over the last month or so, and having great fun with it (fun being relative, if you call pulling out your hair and screaming at the computer fun!!!) My clever (and very patient) husband sorted out the last few hiccups this afternoon and I'm very happy to unveil the new Christina Ashcroftwebsite!

I'd love to know what you think of it!

And yes, since I obviously delight in torturing myself the next project on my To-Do list is rebuilding my Christina Phillips website! Watch this space...

Friday, April 13, 2012

It's Friday 13th! What better day to have a little promo for my Touch of the Demon novella? The hero is a bad ass dark angel, the heroine a reluctant assassin and when their paths cross the lust that sizzles between them quickly escalates into a full blown firestorm of passion!

Review:

"Rafe is hot,passionate and deadly. He's on a mission to destroy a woman of mixed celestial parentage because her descendants will create havoc. What he doesn't expect is to fall in love with Celeste. Phillips writes the most erotic love scenes I have read. What I especially love is her dialogue. The feistiness of the heroine matches her hero, leaving the reader really wanting them to get together, but how they will do that is elusive right until the end." 5 Stars. Cathleen Ross, award winning author

Touch of the Demon is available fromSmashwords and Amazon for only $0.99. A perfect coffee break read!

Monday, April 09, 2012

My good friend and CP, Penguin author Amanda Ashby, is holding a Goodreads giveaway this month for the first book in her new MG series, Sophie's Mixed-Up Magic: Wishful Thinkingout next month! Lucky me as I've read the three books and they are all sorts of awesome and the covers are so true to the books it's uncanny!

So here's the skinny culled direct from Amanda's blog- just hop on over and enter to be in with a chance to win!

My very last arc of Sophie’s Mixed-Up Magic: Wishful Thinking is up for grabs over on Goodreads. Well, go on, off you go and enter!!!

Thursday, April 05, 2012

If you've ever wondered what goes on behind-the-scenes between the author, agent, editor and marketing when it comes to creating that perfect cover, then pop on over to the Barnes & Noble Community where the lovely Melissa Walker has featured the Cover Story of my debut novel, Forbidden.

Reading through the post again it's brought back all the excitement of that amazing week, and the absolute thrill I experienced when I finally saw the finished cover for the very first time. Even two years later I haven't got tired of looking at Maximus in his Roman regalia and Carys in her gorgeous gown!

He was a master of seduction - but no match for the magical allure of the woman he wanted most...

"Set in the time of the Roman Empire, Phillips' wonderful story of the romance between a Roman soldier and a Celt is more than entertaining"

Romantic Times BOOK Reviews, 4 Stars

"I dare you to put down Forbidden until you reach the last page. Compelling, passionate and fascinating."

Join My Fan Page!

If you enjoy reading my books and would love to help me spread the word when I have a new release or special sales, come join my Midnight Sinners :-) I'll be sharing sneak peeks, early cover reveals and fun behind-the-scenes snippets of my writing life. There will also be the chance to receive Advance Reader Copies of books for early reviews. Plus, random giveaways! If you'd like to join the team, click on the button!

Triple ARRA Finalist 2013 for Favourite Erotic Romance

HER SAVAGE SCOT "Need to Read"

"With powerfully written characters that the reader cannot help but fall in love with".

Subscribe to

Steals & Deals - 0.99

BLOODLUST DENIED

"Sultry and seductive, Bloodlust Denied is both intriguing and romantic."

Betrayed

"... this book was fantastic!!" ................... "Tacitus is a wonderful hero, masterful and passionate" Tina, A Readers Review Blog: BETRAYED

"I dare you to put down Forbidden before you reach the last page. Compelling, passionate and fascinating." Anna Campbell, Multi Award Winning Author

Follow by Email

Archangel of Mercy is a 2012 ARRA Finalist!

Follow Christina on Facebook

Captive

"Christina Phillips weaves an fascinating tale with an intricate setting and powerful characters, intertwining the deep emotional turmoil of guilt, hatred and searing passions in her latest erotic historical romance, CAPTIVE." Aemelia .............................................. "Readers will be intrigued as the layers of the story unfold." RT BOOK Reviews 4 Stars

"If you love not only erotica, but also stories with well written characters, and great historical detail, you won’t make a mistake by picking up FORBIDDEN." Lynette ................................ "Set in the time of the Roman Empire, Phillips’ wonderful story of the romance between a Roman soldier and a Celt is more than entertaining" RT BOOK Reviews 4 Stars